British Land names Joanne McNamara as new CEO

UK commercial property company British Land has appointed Joanne McNamara as its new CEO.

Joanne McNamara

Joanne McNamara is currently the executive VP for Europe at Oxford Properties, a global real estate investor, developer, and manager fully owned by OMERS, one of Canada's largest pension funds.

With over two decades of experience in the real estate sector, McNamara joined Oxford in London in 2010 as one of its initial team members. Over the past sixteen years, she has played a key role in numerous significant investment and development transactions. She was also instrumental in building Oxford's successful European team, which now comprises over 70 members and manages a portfolio of office, retail, logistics, and residential assets worth approximately £8 bn (€9.4 bn). Before Oxford, McNamara worked at Hammerson and DTZ.

She is a member of Oxford's Global Executive and Investment Committees and serves on the OMERS portfolio management committee. Until 2025, she was also a non-executive director for ESR Group, the largest APAC-focused listed real estate logistics platform.

McNamara has a maximum notice period of six months and is expected to start her role at British Land by the end of November at the latest.

William Rucker, chairman of British Land, said: “I am delighted that Joanne is joining British Land from Oxford Properties, a business we respect and know well as a joint venture partner on the highly successful Leadenhall Building development. Joanne is one of Europe’s most respected real estate professionals. With her deep expertise of real estate, valuable experience in the world of private capital and a strong reputation for decisive leadership, she is exceptionally well placed to drive the business forward.”

Joanne McNamara, incoming CEO, said: “British Land is a business that I have always admired, with an impressive track record of delivering and managing best-in-class places across the UK and an expert team at its helm. I am very much looking forward to working with the Board, Executive Committee and all of my new colleagues as we work together to build on what is already a fantastic platform for growth.”

British Land is a UK commercial property company focused on London campuses and retail parks. It owns or manages a portfolio valued at £15.8bn (€18.6bn), of which British Land’s share amounts to £10.1bn (€11.9bn), as at 31 March 2026.